Mail-box.



PATENTED APR. 30, 1907.

I. W. SAMPLE.

MAIL BOX.

APPLICATION IILEID JAN.17, 190s.

avwewioz ISAAC W. SAMPLE, OF ELGIN, OREGON.

MAIL-BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

,Patented April 30, 1907.

Application filed January 17, 1906. Serial No. 296,483.

. asserting and delivering mail, one of the obj'ects being to provide a device of the character described that shall be simple and comparativelyinexpensive in construction, effectve in operation, and by means of which the mail of numerous patrons of a delivery route may be more quickly and easily delivered than by the usual well known methods.

A further object of my invention is to provide a mail receptacle within which are numerous smaller receptacles so arranged that the mail of each patron .of the route may be contained in one of said receptaces. which, by reason ofthe peculiar construction and arrangement of parts of my invention, may be made readily accessible to the carrier, thus avoiding all danger of inadvertent mistakes in making'delivery and rendering the duties of the carrier less arduous, and avoidmg unnecessary waste of time or delay.

The objects of my invention are attained by the peculiar construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described in the following specification, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and finally claimed.

. In thesedrawings, which are madea part of the specification, and-in which like reference numerals designate corresponding parts, Figure 1 isa side elevation showing the front of my complete device, and showing one of the openings in the casing closed and the other opened; Fig. 2 is a cross-section taken through the center of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a top plan of the inner casing shown in Fig. 2; and

1g. 4 is a top plan of thesup ort.

1 designates an outer cy indrical casing which may be made of any suitable material, preferably light sheet metal. This cylinder rests upon a frame or stand 2 comprising the four arms '3 arranged at right angles with each other and terminating in a bracket or u right support 4 in the center of which is a bal bearing 5. The casing 1 is provided with a lid or cover 6 carrying snap spr ngs 7 the ends of which engage open ngs 8 m the; be found especl casing, said snap springs providing means whereby the lid or cover 6 is firmly and removably held inposition on said casing.

Rotatably mounted within the casing 1 is the cylindrical drum 9 which is comprised of the supporting frame 10, the standard 11 of which rests upon the ball bearing 5 and This arrange-- forms the axis of the drum. ment of parts comprises means for rotating said drum and its supporting frame within the outer cylindrical casing. The drum 9 is provided with a plurality. of compartments or chambers 12 preferably arranged in two or more sets, two sets being shown in the drawings,\one arranged above the other, the outer ends of each of said compartments or chambers being open to form entrances at the periphery of the drum. These compartments or chambers are separated from each other by a horizontal circular partition 13, and their inner ends are closed by a circular vertical wall 14. This arrangement of the compartments or chambers admits of their open ends being successively presentedto openings 15 inthe outer cylindrlcal casing when the drum is rotated upon its axis. Each of the openings 15 are adapted to be closed or opened by means of a slidably mounted door 16. In Fig. 1, the lower door is shown open and the upper door is shown closed.

In operation, the frame 2 may be mounted on any suitable support, and the operator, by rotating the drum 9 on the ball bearing 5, can present the. entrances to the compartments 12 to the opening 15 in the outer casing. The name of each patron receiving mail can be placed adjacent to the entrance to the compartment in which mail is to be stored until delivery, thereby expediting the work of the carrier, who first assorts the mail prior to starting upon his route, placing the mail of each patron in the compartment bearing his name. As soon as the residence of a patron is reached the carrier, by placing his and under the supporting frame 2, can rotate the drum to present any of the various compartments 12 to the openings 15. By arranging the names of the patrons on the inner receptacle according to their station along the route, much delay may be avoided a in making deliveries. If found convenient or desirable, the outer casing 1 may be eliminated, thus leaving the drum 9 with all ofits compartments open. This modification will 'a ly useful in as'sort-ing mail in ICC IIO

' shown.

post-offices, mail stations, and on postal cars,-as by this arrangement'several operators may work in assorting mails at the same time with expedition and convenience. To prevent the drum from rotating while mail is being placed in or taken out of the compartments 12 any suitable means may be provided, preferably a leaf spring 16 having one end secured to the lid 6 and its other end yieldingly bearing against the top of the drum, as shown.

It is obvious that slight changes may be made in the construction, form, arrangement of parts, and proportions without in any wise deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention, hence I do not wish to be limited to the precise construction and arrangement Having thus described my said invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

A receptacle of the character described comprising a rotary drum consisting of a body having a centrally arranged opening and a surrounding series of pockets having open outer ends, a frame arranged in the upper portion of the central opening in sud drum, a pivot stud depending from the cendrum and said casing and consisting of spaced arms on the outer ends of whlch said I surrounding side wall is supported, the inner ends of said arms projecting upwardly into the central opening in said drum and being united and formed with a centrally arranged socket, a bearing ball arranged in the last mentioned socket and adapted to enter the socket in the depending pivot stud of said drum, and a brake spring arranged between the top of the casing and the top of said drum to retard the rotation of the latter, substantially as shown and for the purposes set forth. In testimony whereof I hereunto alliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

II. J. MORTON. C. A. BRIDWELL. 

